MUMBAI: Chennai based Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd (PSTL) will be expanding its operations in Mumbai and in other Northern parts of the country. The company has tied up with Ronnie Screwvala, CEO of UTV Software Communications Ltd. to propose and look out for theatres in Mumbai and Northern parts of the country. Pyramid Saimira was one of the first companies to get into the digital cinema space and is one of the leading chain of theatres in the Southern region.
PSTL launched in Mumbai yesterday at the Hotel J.W. Marriott, Juhu. Director of PSTL N. Narayanan gave the welcome address, followed by keynotes of Pyramid brand by Managing Director of PSTL P.S. Saminathan. Others present were Subhash Chandra Goel, Chairman of Zee Network, R. Jayaraman Iyer, CMD of Stock Holding Corpn. of India Ltd., Boney Kapoor, President of Film Federation of India, producer-director Bharathi Rajaa, S.V.R.M. Ramanathan, General Secretary of Film Federation of India and other dignitaries.
PSTL’s vision is to integrate stand alone theatres into a chain and has already acquired 900 theatres in South on long lease / ownership. PSTL has improved the infrastructure of the stand alone cinemas to bring it at par with world-class standards and to offer high quality viewing experience by converting them into digital, and connecting it through a satellite distribution network.
PSTL has a network / tie-up with 340 cinemas in Andhra Pradesh, 210 in Karnataka, 160 in Kerala and 190 in Tamil Nadu, and similarly they are setting up an integrated Network Operating Center (NOC) in Mumbai and other Northern parts. Within three years the company is confident of setting up a theatre chain of 1000 cinemas. They have tie-ups with Tatas for transmitting converted Digital films using Satellite medium to various theatres across India in a secured encryption mode. Using Digital rights management PSTL will exhibit the films and other contents in digital mode in D-5 format, without physical prints. According to them, it will save Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 70,000/- per movie per theatre. The quality of the picture is reported to be 100 times better than the original print without any grains or distortion in the images.
The conversion is being done to theatres at B & C class centers, which enables new film release at these centers too, without film print cost. This will also effectively kill pirated CD market as new films can be released simultaneously. On the revenue earnings and audiences, Pyramid Natrajan, the chairman of PSTL, shed light saying that their Integrated Network Operating Center, which releases the Digital Content delivery will monitor through the amalgamation of the last mile will access the sector and will regularize the collection process, create bankable revenue streams, bring institutionalized players in the financing segment and improve the overall efficiency and profitability in the entertainment industry.
Pyramid Natrajan, the Chairman is into cinema business since 30 years. He has also acted in 45 films in South mostly in Gemini, S.S. Wasan, Rajnikant, Kamal Hassan starrer. He has even produced 45 films of which two were in Gujarati Ger Ger Matina Chula and Veruni Vasula other than Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. With K. Balachander under the banner of Kavitalaya he made Ek Dujhe Ke Liye. Music director A.R. Rahman was launched with his film hit Roja.
